Date:
Monday, June 02, 2008
Contact:
Contact: Victoria Tobin, WSDOT Communications, 206.464.1184
Mobile phone: 206.375.2412
SEATTLE – While the first month of SR 167 HOT lanes operations went smoothly, the pilot project faced a few minor challenges.
More than 6,500 Good To Go! customers used the SR 167 HOT (high occupancy toll) lanes during their first month of operation. Solo drivers who chose to pay to use the HOT lanes saved an average of 10 minutes in travel time on trips between Auburn and Renton and paid an average toll of $1.50. The highest toll paid was $5.75 during the evening commute on May 21. That toll bought approximately 27 minutes in saved travel time.
“More and more drivers are using the HOT lanes each day,” said Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “We started with a few hundred toll payers a day and now we’re up to more than 1,200 drivers each day who find value in paying for a more reliable trip. This four-year pilot project is off to a great start, and we’ll be closely monitoring and adjusting the system to achieve its best performance.”
|
SR 167 HOT lanes
May 2008—numbers |
week one |
week two |
week three |
week four (holiday week) |
|
Daily average tolled transactions |
850 |
960 |
1100 |
1080 |
|
Average toll paid |
$0.95 |
$0.95 |
$1.20 |
$1.00 |
|
Highest toll paid |
$2.75 |
$3.00 |
$5.75 |
$3.25 |
|
Peak hour average time savings (minutes) |
northbound 10 southbound 4 |
northbound 7 southbound 6 |
Northbound 13 southbound 7 |
northbound 8 southbound 4 |
The first Good To Go! statements with HOT lane toll charges were distributed this weekend. WSDOT urges customers to take a moment to closely review their May statements. A few customers have contacted the Good To Go! customer service center with questions about toll trip charges on SR 167. Customers who think they were charged incorrectly or have questions about charges, should contact the customer service center at 1-866-936-8246, and their records will be reviewed to determine if there was a discrepancy.
HOT lanes are the latest example of WSDOT’s three-point “Moving Washington” plan for reducing congestion. The new strategy includes adding new road space where it makes the most sense, offering travelers and commuters more choices to reduce traffic demand, and making the state’s existing highways as efficient as possible. HOT lanes contribute to congestion-relief by offering available space in the carpool lanes to solo drivers, thus maximizing the number of vehicles that can use the corridor.
Solo drivers can avoid traffic back ups by paying an electronic toll to use the HOT lanes. The toll rate increases or decreases based on the level of congestion to ensure that traffic in the HOT lanes flows freely. There are no toll booths. Tolls are collected electronically and solo drivers must have a Good To Go! account to drive in the HOT lanes. Carpools carrying two people or more, vanpools, transit and motorcycles continue to use the HOT lanes toll-free and do not need a transponder. Carpools with Good To Go! accounts need to purchase a shield to temporarily disable their transponders, so they will not be charged for using the HOT lanes.
Those wishing to set up a Good To Go! account or purchase a shield to use while carpooling, can call the customer service center at 1-866-936-8246 or visit one of the locations at 3212 50th Street Court, Suite 200, Gig Harbor and 2115 S. 56th Street, Suite 306, Tacoma. Applications are accepted on-line.
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